Hollywood police spokeswoman Miranda Grossman said Thursday that the body of 37-year-old Beranton J. Whisenant Jr. was found early Wednesday by a passerby on the city’s beach. She said detectives are trying to determine if the death was a homicide, suicide or something else.

Whisenant worked for the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Miami in its major crimes unit. He had joined the office in January. Court records show he had been handling several visa and passport fraud cases.

Acting U.S. Attorney Benjamin G. Greenberg said in a statement that Whisenant was a “great lawyer and wonderful colleague.” The office declined to comment on the investigation.

The authorities are still trying to determine if it was a homicide or not but there appears to be possible head trauma.